Fun weekend with a fight about affirmative action...  

I traveled up to Idaho Falls friday afternoon to meet a friend, we'll call her "S" because I don't feel right having her name all over my blog without her permission, though I know she wouldn't care and I have written about her before. We were going to shop a little, eat dinner, then meet her sister and her sister's boyfriend for Pirates of the Caribbean 3. I hadn't seen any of the Pirates movies, so I was a little lost, but it was pretty enjoyable and Johnny Depp is hilarious.

Saturday was spent going to garage sales, then I came home to watch some Felicity, took a nap, then met S (same one from yesterday) to help her pack as she needs to move out of her current house. We packed as we watched episodes from season 2 of The Office and played with two baby hamsters she bought for her brother. During this time, we had a little debate about Affirmative Action. The problem with those opposed to Affirmative Action is they point to little more than anecdotal evidence as proof that Affirmative Action is reverse discrimination.

I really hate debating Affirmative Action because it is not only controversial, but it reveals settle, though important, differences in people's core beliefs related to society, race, racism, discrimination, equality, and on and on and on. And really, is it not humorous that the biggest whiners about Affirmative Action are white men. White men who reside at the top of our stratified society in America and so many other countries. Ok, maybe I just find it humorous.

The fight led me to dream about a professor at ISU who has had a profound impact upon my life and my beliefs. When I walked across the stage to receive my diploma and hood for my Master's degree, then down the ramp to get my picture taken, this professor met me (just like she did when I got my Bachelor's) and handed me a card. The card read, "Rarely does a student like you come a long! You are truly exceptional. I love you and congrats!" It might sound weird that a professor said "I love you" to me, but not in this case. This professor has played a big role in my life since 2002. A confidant, a friend, a mother figure, and someone who has helped guide me to where I am today.

She is the one who has helped shape some of my beliefs about Affirmative Action and why I feel so strongly about it and though not perfect, and while I am adamantly opposed to quotas, I support Affirmative Action because it has benefitted not just people of color, but white women. It has led to a greater equality in the workplace and that cannot be denied. The means may not be perfect, and the ends aren't bearing a perfect fruit, but the goals of Affirmative Action (equality in the workplace) is perfect and one day, maybe, hopefully, and God willing, we won't need to force people to be fair.

This leads me to a conundrum I find myself in related to my blog, something you might have gathered from my words above...

My blog is more than politics, it is my blog, therefore it is about my life, the things in my life, and the people. I don't know how comfortable I feel naming people when I write about things. I've done it before, and I know most of the people I write about wouldn't mind it, especially if I kept it to their first name, but I think I should have respect for these people and not name them. If you know me well, you will know who I am speaking about when I write. I'm not going to edit any past posts, but from now on, I will try to be more careful when I refer to my friends and family.